How refreshed would you feel if you took off one day every week? What if for 24 hours, you didn’t work, didn’t fret over cleaning or running errands, and didn’t feel the pressure to check items off your to-do list at the first sign of free time?
What if for just one day a week, you refused to feel guilty for resting? You would be participating in a modern day sabbath.
Do We Even Have Time For a Modern Day Sabbath?
Now I know what you’re thinking. If only I didn’t have so much to do!
And I feel you! I work 40 hours a week, spend 10 hours commuting there and back, log 10-15 hours a week into my side gig, and act as my child’s primary caregiver 6-7 hours every weekday, and all day weekends.
So the idea of taking one day off a week sounded impossible and frankly, irresponsible, when I first considered it. But man, if I didn’t need a day off!
What I found was that I was constantly running on fumes when I pushed myself to the max seven days a week.
I was exhausted to the point of tears, was easily irritated with the people I loved most, and felt enormous guilt any time I gave myself a few minutes off, thinking about all of the productive things I should have accomplished with that time.
What God Says About Observing the Sabbath
I ultimately found I was worse at everything when I wasn’t taking an occasional rest. And that’s when I stumbled across Isaiah 58:13-14 (MSG) in my daily Bible reading:
“If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage, if you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God’s holy day as a celebration, if you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’ making money, running here and there — Then you’ll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all. I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.” Yes! God says so!
The idea in the Bible was that one day a week, people would stop working. They’d attend church, spend time with their family and friends, and avoid checking any items off their to-do lists, all with the intention of honoring God. And it wasn’t just an Old Testament concept!
In Mark 2:27-28, Jesus referred to himself as “Lord of the Sabbath.” He explained that we were not created to serve the sabbath, but that the sabbath was created to serve and help us.
Romans 14 further discusses that everything you do on a holy day (alluding to the sabbath) should be done to the glory of God.
What Does a Modern Day Sabbath Look Like?
So what does that mean for today? Because life 2000 years ago was obviously very different (and likely less busy) than it is now.
What things can you do to rest and honor God on a modern day sabbath?
- Refrain from work, or from checking items off your to-do list.
- Attend church (commanded in Leviticus 23:3 and 1 Corinthians 11:18).
- Invest extra time into worshiping God, and reading and studying the Bible.
- Focus on spending quality time with family and friends.
- Minimize housework as much as possible. I mean, don’t leave out food that brings all the bugs to the yard, but don’t make this the day you vacuum the entire house or scrub the bathtub.
- Keep meals low-key (think crockpot dumps, sandwiches, or ordering a pizza).
- Avoid mindless and potentially stressful technology, like scrolling social media or checking emails.
- Switch things up from your normal day-to-day. So if you spend 40-50 hours a week at a desk, talk a walk or visit a park. If you spend your week on your feet in the hot sun, sit down in a cool room and allow your body to rest.
- Invest time into those things you’ve been meaning to do for yourself. Take a relaxing bath, watch a movie, or log time with a hobby, like writing, knitting, or biking.
Keep in mind that your sabbath doesn’t necessarily have to fall on a Sunday or Saturday. I’m scheduled to work from 3:00 PM to midnight every Sunday, so I decided to practice my modern day sabbath on one of my days off, Friday.
What About My To-Do List?
What about all of the other things you intended to do that day? After all, it’s rare to experience a day in which you have absolutely nothing to check off your list.
What about grocery shopping, paying bills, and filling out that paperwork you were supposed to complete last week?
As I prepared for my first modern day sabbath, I had to decide where to fit all of those tasks elsewhere in my week. Yes, I made the other six days of the week slightly more stressful…in order to create one truly carefree day.
God helped His people accomplish this in the Bible. While He was sending the Israelites their daily manna in the desert, He would always send a double portion of manna on the sixth day, to allow the Israelites to rest from work on the seventh day, their sabbath.
And I believe God does the same for us today. I find it challenging to work full-time and invest time into my side gig — writing and website management. So imagine my fear at the thought of not working at either job for an entire day every week!
But as I began to practice a modern day sabbath, I found that I was accomplishing more on my side gig throughout the week. I was more focused and energized, and knocking out my work in nearly half the time.
I sincerely believe that God blesses our efforts to honor Him, and won’t leave us with work hanging over our heads. It was difficult to believe that at first. But week after week of experiencing God provide helped to settle my mind and heart that the work would be completed.
On my first attempt at a sabbath, I probably got up from my chair 30 times to start a task…then sat back down as I remembered I was observing a sabbath.
And I’ve gotta tell you…giving myself the permission, the command even, to rest and focus on my faith and family for 24 hours? It felt like an overwhelming breath of fresh air.
And when I returned to my job, side gig, and general chaos the following day? I felt refreshed, and experienced a surge of energy that I hadn’t felt in months.
It’s your turn! How will you practice a modern day sabbath?
I challenge you to try practicing your own modern day sabbath. It’s not only an act of obedience to God’s commands, but also an act of love…as we commit one of our most valuable resources, our time, to our Father and Lord.
And the return on that obedience? It’s the rest and refreshment you desperately need.
What will your modern day sabbath look and feel like? We can’t wait to hear about it!
P.S. Need a little help getting a solid handle on your to-do list? Then nab our free Tame the Overwhelm worksheets here!
Disclosure: While all opinions are our own, we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate advertising programs, designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, at no additional cost to you.
Usha Borde
Sunday 4th of May 2025
Hi ,
(Exodus 31:14 ) states :'God spoke to Moses, ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people.'
The verse is propounded nicely in this article.
These consistent verses highlight The Sabbath day_: ##########
(Deuteronomy 5 :14,15) says:God said to Moses," The seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maid servant, nor thine ox,nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy strang er that is within thy gates; that thy manservant & thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day."
'‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly.You are not to do any work; wher ever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord. '(Leviticus 23:3 )
(Genesis 2 : 2_3) says :' God Himself ended His work & rested on the seventh day. He blessed the seventh day, & sanctified it.'
The Old Covenant was a strict rule. This is seen in (Numbers 15:32-36):' On one occasion a man was arrested, incarcerated & later stone d to death because he picked up some sticks on the sabbath day. '
The New Covenant is not so. The reason is : 'The Son of man is Himself Lord of the Sabbath.'
This is stated in, ( Mark 2 : 27- 28) :'Jesus said unto Pharisees ,"The sabbath was made for man, & not man for the sabbath:Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."
About Jesus, God said, "I will make Him [Christ] My first-born, higher than the kings of the earth”.(Psalm 89 : 27)
And, (Matthew 11 : 27) states :'All things of The Father are delivered unto Jesus .'
'All authority in heaven & on earth has been also given to Jesus .' (Matthew 28:18 )
Even, the authority to lay down His life & authority to take it up again.' (John 10:18)
Jesus kept the importance of holiness of the Sabbath day _: ################
This is seen in,(Matt. 24: 20):'He said, to the disciples:"Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day."
Though the commandment about Sabbath is the fourth, of the ten commandments, A lawyer asked Jesus, " Master, which is the great commandment in the law Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;with all thy soul & with all thy mind.This is the first & great commandment & the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law & the prophets.' ( Matt. 22 : 36 -40 )
But, Jesus did good works on Sabbath day, such as :
1) Healing a man having withered hand.
( Matt12 :1-13) states :'At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn & his discip les were an hungred & began to pluck in the ears of corn to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy discipl es do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day."But he said unto them," Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred & they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God & did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat ,neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath & are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.lf ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy & not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. Later, He went into their synago gue:& behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. & they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? Jesus said unto them, "What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep & if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it & lift it out ? How much then is a man better than a sheep ? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days." Then saith he to the man, " Stretch forth thine hand" & he stretched it forth & it was restored whole, like as the other. '
2) He healed a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. (Luke 13:11-12)
3) He healed a man born blind on the Sabbath. (John 9:1,14)
4) He healed a man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, (John 5: 5,8)
Thus ,
CHRIST IS A FULFILLMENT & THE SIGN OF THE OLD COVENANT OF THE SABBATH ; BETWEEN GOD & US FOR EVER.
(Romans 10:4) says:' For Christ is the end of the law for righteous ness to everyone who believes.' And,
(Collossians 2 : 16) says :'Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon or of the sabbath days.'
Deb
Thursday 8th of May 2025
What a beautiful collection of verses! Thanks so much, Usha! ❤️
rev dr renita green
Thursday 1st of February 2024
Hello. I am looking for the name of the author of this article. I would like to use it at a resource in a course I am teaching.
Deb
Thursday 1st of February 2024
Hi there, Reverend Green! I wrote this post - Deb Preston. 😀 Thanks so much for including my post in your course, I'm honored! ❤️
Gina
Sunday 2nd of July 2023
I have an encouraging testimony regarding my son and the Sabbath. He works for a grocery store and was being promoted to be one of the managers. During this time he really got into his word and studying the whole Bible from the Torah to the new covenant. He really researched the Sabbath and prior to becoming manager he made the decision he wanted to be committed to keeping the Sabbath.
He prayed and wrote a letter to his lead at the store took it in shared his beliefs with them as they read his letter, they literally told him because of his convictions and at such a young age they would be more than happy to work with him and give him those days he needed.
He was was blessed with Saturdays off and he works early morning shifts Fridays. What I learned from my 22 year old son is that we forget the type of God we worship. His faith in the Father is why he was blessed, as this is not what should have happen, as a new manager. It was a faith builder because even though he works with great people, many or not believers.
All things are possible through him and if he calls for us to commit to Sabbath on the 7th day, if we have faith and believe and truly want to honor him he will move mountains for us.
As believers our faith get tested and sometimes it can show us where we are in our faith. If we lack faith and doubt in the almighty power of our Father, he can help us to grow in faith by us allowing him to step in and help us. We see that many times in the Bible, that he never breaks a promise to his true believers. I believe everyone has to come to their own convictions about many things in the Bible and God will bring us all to his truth in his timing. Absolutely if God calls me to help my neighbor on a Sabbath who is sick, of course I would do so. It's doing the will of the Father.
However, to go out and hang out with friends shopping and buying on a day that is meant to glorify the Father and be in his word, resting, praising and self reflecting on my spiritual walk and what I could do better to glorify God. He does call us to follow his commands and just like me and my son we had to get there and it's all about taking it to God not man because man has no heaven for any of us. We need to study those scriptures ourselves to make sure we are right with the father regardless what anyone says because we have to answer to God. I loved the post and much love and blessings to you all.
Deb
Thursday 6th of July 2023
Thank you so much for sharing such an encouraging story, Gina! ❤️ And what inspirational faith and courage your son has at such a young age. Praise God!
Chris
Saturday 29th of October 2022
Beautifully written. The juxtaposition of Old Testament writings with Jesus’s actions and teachings really helped me see the shift in focus from legalism to the spirit of the law. Jesus taught on several occasions about how the Pharisees would meet the letter of the law, but fall drastically short in their hearts. He warned them even to their faces that this hypocrisy would face the ultimate judgment of the Lord.
Thank you for presenting Jesus’s teaching on the Sabbath so clearly.
Deb
Friday 18th of November 2022
Thanks so much for reading, Chris! I'm so glad you found it helpful!
Michelle G
Saturday 15th of October 2022
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I want to commend you for writing such an article as this. It was well thought out and written. I like how you worded honoring the Sabbath day so much that I copied and pasted a lot of it into a Goggle Docs page to reference the next time I prepare a message on keeping the Sabbath day holy. So, thank you!
Deb
Saturday 15th of October 2022
Thanks so much, Michelle! I'm so glad you found it helpful! <3